The currently existing related art involves several tabletop novelty items. One such invention is disclosed in Hooper (U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,517) involves a magnetic toy which simulates a symmetric clown with magnets embedded in its upper and lower surfaces, wherein a ball, a hat, or another clown is supported on the clown via complementary magnets. Hooper's attached objects are coupled only by the pulling force of the magnets, as the bottom of the ball is rounded. The toy is arranged in various positions with other objects via magnetic forces only, but does not actually provide gravitational “balance” but merely provides for the coupling of elements using magnet forces only, does not provide for any stackability of the elements or any features that would enhance stackability, and does not provide any asymmetrical balancing-challenge to the user.
Gross (U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,711) involves a magnetic toy which uses two magnetic structures and a magnetic platform plate to allow the user to create a variety of arrangements using magnetic particles, but does not provide any asymmetrical balancing-challenge to the user. The two magnetic structures are disposed in a manner such that the same magnetic polarity for each structure is adjacent to the platform plate, thereby allowing the magnetic particles to be formed in either bridging configurations or divergent stand-alone configurations.
Eckerle et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,611) involves a doll support apparatus that includes a ferromagnetic base having an upwardly facing support surface for receiving the bottom surface of a doll foot device, the doll foot device incorporating a magnetic insert which, when supported on such surface, is disposed in close proximity to the ferromagnetic base, thereby maintaining the doll in an erect position, but does not actually provide gravitational “balance” but merely provides for the coupling of elements using magnet forces only, does not provide for any stackability of the elements nor any features that would enhance stackability, and does not provide any asymmetrical balancing-challenge to the user. The foot device may be in the form of a foot representation having a magnetic insert embedded directly therein or may be in the form of a removable shoe having the magnetic insert embedded therein. The foot or the shoe may incorporate a hinge element that incorporates a releasable lock for locking the shoe or foot in selectable positions.
Common problems experienced in the related art are poor balancing and limited usability, because the related art inventions do not enhance static equilibrium by challenging the user to balance the relative moments of inertia among a plurality of figurines and a plurality of auxiliary objects, because the related art inventions do not disclose at least one flattened surface for accommodating embedded magnets and for facilitating stacking of a plurality of figurines in combination with modern high strength magnets. Thus, a long-felt need is seen to exist for a system and a method which better enhances static equilibrium in novelty items, toys, games, interactive art pieces, amusement items, and educational tools.